The invention relates to a vehicle bumper of the type particularly adapted for use on large trucks, such as tractor-trailers, transport, logging, and other large heavy-duty vehicles.
At present, it is common practice to mount protective bumpers on the front of such vehicles in order to prevent damage to the main chassis, fenders, and sides of the vehicle if it runs into obstacles. These bumpers are in the form of one rigid piece mounted on the front of the vehicle with lateral portions protruding beyond the sides.
In the event of a major impact the protruding side portions are often bent backwards into engagement with the vehicle tires. This results in damage or puncture to the tires and disablement of the steering mechanism.
Truck owners and operators often cut off the protruding side portions or add hardwood or steel backing panels behind the bumper in an effort to avoid this problem.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,843,180 (Alexander) discloses a bumper with the end-section cut off and pivoted to the main section by means of special couplings including shear pins. However, the couplings are complicated to make, and it is also difficult to control the breaking force required to pivot the wing sections. In the event that the shear pins break, they are not easily replaceable and the truck must generally be returned to a service depot to restore the bumper. It is an object of the invention to provide a truck bumper that overcomes the problems set forth above and which is easy to restore and has a reliable breaking point.